October is National Bullying Prevention Month, so I thought that this was the ideal time to share some books from our young adult fiction shelves on this painful subject. Here are ten novels featuring characters who had to make difficult decisions because of how bullying changed their lives.

Cold Calls by Charles Benoit
Shelly, Eric, and Fatima have only one thing in common. They were all blackmailed by a stranger into bullying other students.

Keep Holding On by Susane Colasanti
Noelle isn’t used to standing up for herself. She’s used to keeping everything inside, and keeping her miserable life a secret. But the more the pain grows inside her, the closer she gets to the breaking point.

I Swear by Lane Davis
When bullying leads to suicide, who is to blame? If Leslie chose to take the coward’s way out, then wasn’t it her fault?

Until it Hurts to Stop by Jennifer R. Hubbard
Maggie Camden starts to panic when Raleigh—the girl who made her life hell in seventh grade—moves back into her town.

Random by Tom Leveen
Tomorrow, Tori is going on trial for a crime that turned everyone against her. But tonight she gets a random phone call that reminds her of that crime, and she starts to reevaluate the decisions that led her to this point.

The Astonishing Adventures of Fanboy and Goth Girl by Barry Lyga
When Mitchell Frampton decides to use you for target practice in gym class, it won’t be the first time that a bully has bothered you in school. But this time will be different because it will be witnessed by a girl who’s going to change your life.

The Truth About Alice by Jennifer Mathieu
When the rumor started that Alice Franklin slept with two boys at a party, everyone’s perception of her began to change. But when one of those boys died in a car accident and someone said it was because Alice was texting him, everyone turns against her at once.

Yaqui Delgado Wants to Kick Your Ass by Meg Medina
Piddy Sanchez is trying to keep a low profile, but it isn’t working. When a girl she doesn’t even know decides to make her life miserable, everything that’s important in Piddy’s life is suddenly at risk.

By the Time You Read This, I’ll Be Dead by Julie Anne Peters
Daelyn has been teased and picked on by other kids for years. She tried to eat away the pain, and to take her parents’ advice and ignore the insults. But how many times are you supposed to let it all just roll off your back?

Freak by Marcella Pixley
Miriam is proud of her big vocabulary and her big brain. But other girls in school are less impressed, and instead they harass and torment her for being different.